A Merry Little Meet Cute: A Novel

Julie Murphy · Sierra Simone

Sep 2022 · Sold by HarperCollins

About this ebook

Cowritten by #1 New York Times bestselling author Julie Murphy and USA Today bestselling author Sierra Simone—a steamy plus-size holiday rom-com about an adult film star who is semi-accidentally cast as a lead in a family-friendly Christmas movie, and the former bad-boy pop star she falls in love with.

“The charming holiday romp you absolutely need in your life!” —Tessa Bailey

Bee Hobbes (aka Bianca Von Honey) has a successful career as a plus-size adult film star. With a huge following and two supportive moms, Bee couldn’t ask for more. But when Bee’s favorite producer casts her to star in a Christmas movie he’s making for the squeaky-clean Hope Channel, Bee’s career is about to take a more family-friendly direction.

Forced to keep her work as Bianca under wraps, Bee quickly learns this is a task a lot easier said than done. Though it all becomes worthwhile when she discovers her co-star is none other than childhood crush Nolan Shaw, an ex-boy band member in desperate need of career rehab. Nolan’s promised his bulldog manager to keep it zipped up on set, and he will if it means he’ll be able to provide a more stable living situation for his sister and mom.

But things heat up quickly in Christmas Notch, Vermont, when Nolan recognizes his new co-star from her ClosedDoors account (oh yeah, he’s a member). Now Bee and Nolan are sneaking off for quickies on set, keeping their new relationship a secret from the Hope Channel’s execs. Things only get trickier when the reporter who torpedoed Nolan’s singing career comes snooping around—and takes an instant interest in mysterious newcomer Bee.

And if Bee and Nolan can’t keep their off-camera romance behind the scenes, then this merry little meet cute might end up on the cutting room floor.

Ratings and reviews

A former pop star and a current adult film star falling in love while making a Christmas movie is a very entertaining story premise. Bee tries to hide her other profession, wanting to give it a real go as a serious actress, and Nolan is trying to revamp his image. Not to mention they've both been ordered to not engage in any sort of hanky panky while filming. But I mean, that chemistry was strong. And they were already fans of each other. There were some funny moments in here, like I laughed out loud. And the steam was good. I appreciated the love for a plus sized heroine, and I really liked the way things turned out. I love the beautiful cover, and I'd love to read books about Nolan's past band mates in the future. Very enjoyable read, in a cute Christmassy town.

This book absolutely blew my mind, stole my heart, made me chuckle like a maniac and left me in dire need of an ice-cold drink as I was swooning. Sinfully clever and wickedly smart, Bee and Nolan's story is an effervescent blend of charming, cute, sweet, funny, dramatic, fiery and heart melting that you might be inclined to think simply can't work but trust me it does beautifully, and all with a sassy, tongue-in-cheek attitude that I found just plain irresistible!

Delightfully unusual rom-com Bee and Nolan were terrific together, even if one has to suspend disbelief just a bit to buy into their "trying to keep things secret" while not showing much restraint at all in where and when they allowed their frisky sides to shine. I loved the fact that they both had celebrity crushes on each other, and the humor sprinkled throughout kept the story from getting bogged down under the threat of exposure. Their HEA was terrific, if somewhat predictable (as most of these "hope the public doesn't find out" stories go) and I enjoyed the way it incorporated secondary characters as well. It's a fun read, and one I recommend if you're looking for a light, frothy holiday rom-com. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

About the author

Julie Murphy lives in North Texas with her husband, who loves her, and her cats, who tolerate her. When Julie isn’t writing, she can be found watching movies so bad they're good, hunting for the perfect slice of cheese pizza, or planning her next great travel adventure. She is the author of the middle grade novels Dear Sweet Pea and Camp Sylvania as well as the young adult novels Ramona Blue, Side Effects May Vary, the Faith series, Pumpkin, Puddin’, and Dumplin’ (now a Netflix original film). You can visit Julie at imjuliemurphy.com.

It all started with a series of tropes: just one bed, forced proximity, and a dash of enemies to lovers, and now ten years later, Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone are best friends and co-authors of the USA Today bestselling A Merry Little Meet Cute and A Holly Jolly Ever After. Sierra is the USA Today bestselling author of Priest and American Queen. When they’re not writing, Julie and Sierra enjoy forcing their families to go on vacation together and eating an array of pies while watching delightfully bad movies.